This is the 6th CIAWorld Accordion Day and the 2nd year to have World Accordion Day celebrated with a 24 hour round the clock, round the world web TV broadcast which last year was very successful, attracting over 310,000 viewer minutes from 87 countries.

Featured will be accordion performances, interviews, and interesting activities during the past year from many countries with famous accordionists, national associations, manufacturers, authors, composers, arrangers and teachers from around the world participating.

Mastery of the bandoneon is achieved by establishing habits of practice which develop a natural and relaxed physical relationship with the instrument. This allows us to express musical ideas fluently while avoiding strain and injury. The purpose of the bootcamp is to develop this approach in relation to all of the main elements of bandoneon playing.

Julian Rowlands, who will be leading the workshop, is a bandoneonist, composer and arranger. He has performed on BBC television and radio and at many of the UK's major theatre and concert venues. He co-created the score for the hit West End show "Midnight Tango" and has performed in it since its inception. He is a member of Tango Siempre and director of Orquesta Tangazo, who are performing at the festival on Saturday night.

For more information and bookings see http://www.englandinternationaltangofestival.com/id30.html

Festivals, Competitions, Masterclasses/Seminars/Stages, Reports etc.

7th Accordion Art Festival/Contest - Italia

by Diatonic News

From the 15-16th June 2013 in Pineto/Italy - the 7th national in international contest under the guidance of Maestro Renzo Ruggieri will take place holding several competitioins for the following categories:

Video: Caro Emerald’s ‘Tangled Up’, Amsterdam - Netherlands

Dutch jazz singer Caro Emerald’s latest recording, ‘Tangled Up’, is set against a fabulous tango accompaniment, featuring bandoneon player Carel Kraayenhof. ‘Tangled Up’ is a hit single release taken from her 2013 studio album ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’.

Caro Emerald (real name Caroline Esmeralda van der Leeuw, 1981), debuted in 2009 as a recording artist, and has since built up a huge following in many countries. She was trained as a jazz vocalist at the Amsterdam Conservatory, graduating in 2005.

Carel Kraayenhof is one of Europe’s leading bandoneon players. He came to prominence in 2002 when he played at the royal wedding of Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Argentinean Maxima Zorreguieta.

Button Accordion & Bajo Sexto Workshops San Antonio - USA

by Diatonic News

Saturday, May 18

Guadalupe Theatre | 10:30am-12:30pm | $40

Button Accordion & Bajo Sexto Workshops

Master Button Accordion and Bajo Sexto maestros, Joel Guzmán and Conjunto Music Hall of Famer Guadalupe Enríquez, will conduct this concurrent two-hour workshop. Basic chords and scales will be explored, along with the playing and accompaniment of different conjunto rhythms. The two workshops will come together at the end for an impromptu performance and conjunto jam.

Tim Edey performs at Jurassic Folk at the Grouve - UK

It all happens at The Grove, Seaton, on Wednesday, May 1st, doors open 7.45pm, advance tickets (up to 30th April) are £8 (£10 on the door) from www.eastdevonfolk.org or phone 01297 20064.

Having won both categories in which he was nominated at last year’s BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, “Best Musician” and “Best Duo” (with Brendan Power), Tim Edey is one of the finest multi-instrumental players of his generation in the worldwide Celtic music scene. A virtuoso on both acoustic guitar and button accordion, Tim's incredible musical ear and total technical command allows him to play the most demanding instrumentals and improvise freely in any style you throw at him.

Theo and the Zydeco Patrol in May - USA

Theo and the Zydeco Patrol Combines the Blues with Southwest Louisiana Cajun and Zydeco

Theo and the Zydeco Patrol is not just another blues band. Their secret spice to the Blues is the Louisiana hot sauce of traditional Cajun and zydeco music.

With a sound straight from the backwoods zydeco dance clubs, Cajun "fais do do" dances, backyard crawfish boil parties and bayou festivals, the Theo and the Zydeco Patrol brings the best of Southwest Louisiana festival music to Southern California. Featuring the diatonic "Cajun-style" button accordion, keyboard accordion, washboard and vocals in the original Cajun French of the Southwest Louisiana, Theo and the Zydeco Patrol cooks up a fiery mix of the Cajun and Zydeco dance music that is sweeping the country.

Saturday May 11 – 2PM to 3PM Gator by the Bay (Bourbon St. Stage) Sunday May 12 – 11AM to 12PM Work Shop Stage

"Whiskey River" / May Performances - UK

by Diatonic News

Whiskey River is a rocking, Louisiana-style Zydecajun band performing Red-Hot Swamp Music and Blues from the Bayous. Just add a taste of Good Rocking Country, some retro-style, Gretsch-fuelled Rock'n'Roll "et voila; c'est si bon!".

The band is led by Aidan Sheehan, his Lafayette "Clarence Junior Martin" Cajun accordion and "Seydel" Blues harmonicas plus Martin Blake on a beautiful white "Gretsch" and a "Fender Swamptone B-bender" guitar. Add whiskey-soaked vocal harmonies, heartfelt lyrics delivered in both English and Cajun-French and you're right there, back on the Bayou boys...